The buddy system
by Ms. Morgana LaFey
Summary: As Voldemort grows in strength, the Order is forced to use a buddy system. Few are happy with the situation they find themselves in but for Severus Snape and Hermione Granger, it seems worse as everything that could go wrong does . SS/HG. Warnings inside.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone. I am excited about writing this story and hope you will enjoy it. I plan to update at least once a week so that you are not stuck waiting for updates that take forever to get here.

Warnings: This story is NOT cannon, but I will try to keep the characters as closely as J.K Rowling has written them. There will be foul language at times and sexual themes of adult nature. I know we all love a bit of smut but I'm going to try and keep this at a standard above a porno if you catch my drift. I will place in more warnings as they come and I feel they are necessary.

And lastly, Harry Potter and all known characters are property of J.K Rowling. I am simply playing with her characters and twisting them to my will. Enjoy.

The Buddy system

Chapter one

Christmas had always been her favorite time of year. It wasn't the gifts or the Christmas parties, no, it wasn't any of that. Hermione loved Christmas because it was the time of year when everyone she loved gathered and spent quality time with each other. It was a time of year that even with the threat of war still looming all around them, they made time to put the stresses in the background and just enjoy life and each other. But this year was different and instead of sitting around a tree and catching up with each other's lives, they were gathered around a large table holding an order meeting and to make it worse, the meeting was for her.

Life for everyone was at a standstill. She, Harry, and Ron, had graduated some six months earlier, but with Voldemort still out there growing in strength and numbers and his crimes becoming more and more public and twisted, it just wasn't safe for them to spread their wings and start a life for themselves, as a matter of fact, their lives were more of a prison sentence than anything else.

The order had enacted a law within the group and it was essentially a type of buddy system. No one was to go out alone and no one was to live alone, no if's, and's, or but's about it. And as much as she hated it, she knew it was in place for good reason as Cho Chang, Susan Bones, and a few other Hogwarts graduates were taken and killed shortly after leaving Hogwarts. Nowhere was safe anymore and only Order Members could be trusted and sometimes even that was a stretch. A month after graduation there were three order members that were found to be spies. They had led Cho into a trap which ended her life and very nearly ended the life of four others. Trust wasn't the same after that and everyone had to prove their loyalty but even then, certain information was hidden and locked away were only a select few had access.

At first, she was put off by the whole situation. She worked hard to finally enter the working world and finding that her wings had been clipped before she even had an honest chance to spread them hit her hard. She wanted a place of her own. She wanted to make her life. She wanted all the things that witches and wizards wanted once they graduated but she was stuck. She fought for her wants and she didn't think the situation was bad enough to warrant such drastic measures, that was until the body of a young order member by the name of Marcy Dublin was found headless and beaten along with a note warning that she was next. It scared her and she didn't protest one bit after that, especially when she found out she was partnered with her boyfriend, one Ronald Weasley.

Their shared safe house was great. It was small yet comfortable for just the two of them. It gave them the privacy that she craved and it gave them a chance to really know each other on a much deeper level than they were ever afforded before and she found herself growing deeper and deeper in love with him. The four months they shared as a couple was the best time of her life. She had known there was something between them for a while and living with him made her completely sure of it. She still hated that she would have to wait to start her life in the working world but she didn't have to wait on her love life because she had found the guy for her - that was until _she_ came along.

Safe houses were filling up fast with witches and wizards that were tired of living in fear. They wanted to fight for their rights to live a normal life. They wanted the safety that the order could give them and while it was a good thing that the order was growing, it was also a hardship as the higher Order members struggled to find safe houses for everyone, especially when complete families were coming in.

It was not unusual anymore to have seven or more to one place and up until a month ago, she and Ron had been lucky that it was only the two of them. But then Jasmine DeLuca showed up and it all went to hell from there.

Hermione, being herself, had tried to make the newest member of their home feel welcome. It was in her nature to do so, but she was no doormat and within a week, she was ready to Jasmine to leave and quickly at that.

Jasmine had played the part well. She was educated, kind, and beautiful. She was always ready with a smile and an ear to lend when someone needed company and conversation. She was respected within the order and seemed generally well liked…. Until the real Jasmine came through.

The real Jasmine, while truly believing in the order, was evil in Hermione's opinion. Hermione had noticed the looks Jasmine would give Ron, and Ron, being Ron, didn't see what Hermione was in a fuss about. The truth about Jasmine was that she was lonely and had a terrible personality flaw that made her want what others had. She hated that she didn't have a man to love or one to love her back, so she did what she did best and flirted, agreed, and conformed to Ron in hopes to gain his affection and worse, she did it right in front of Hermione knowing full well that she and Ron were an item.

"She's just a nice girl." Ron would defend. But Hermione was a woman and she knew the signs when a woman was up to no good. But she didn't press because Ron loved her and she never in her life thought he would be dumb enough to fall for her fake charms.

Life had turned into a battle in the small safe house with Ron being too ensnared in the trap that was called Jasmine. She had decided against her common sense that maybe, just maybe, she was wrong and Jasmine was just being nice, but when she walked in on Ron with a half-naked Jasmine on his lap, she had, had enough and hit both of them with a stunner that left both sore for days.

The kicker was that Ron had yet to apologize for any of it and even threw salt into the wound saying that Jasmine was his kindred spirit. It broke her heart but it was only the tip of the ice burg.

The string of events that followed is what led to the nights order meeting. Ron had requested that Hermione be transferred to a new safe house and with the circumstance being what they were and an unstable Hermione, Dumbledore agreed for fear that curses would begin to fly and someone, most likely Jasmine, would end up at the end of a nasty curse.

Hermione was angry, but more than that, she was hurt. How could he forget their relationship so fast? How could one woman change everything so drastically? She didn't have answers but as her anger ebbed away, the hurt increased tenfold; and making _everything_ worse was the fact that Ron just didn't seem to care one little bit. And he showed as much as he acted like a lovesick teenager at the other end of the table with the tart he had chosen over her snuggled to his side. The knife was digging deeper and she refused to look at them for even a second. It hurt too much.

When Harry arrived he gave Ron a look that would have dropped him dead on the spot of it were a curse. Hermione didn't hear specifics, but she knew that Harry had laid into Ron over the situation and was currently not talking to him. Again, Ron didn't seem to care. He was too lost to Jasmine to care about anything or anyone else.

Hermione, hurting, angry, and uncomfortable continued to stare at a spot on the table, her hands folded tightly in her lap and accepting the comfort that Harry was showing her as he rubbed her back in small circles. She dreaded looking up because she hated to see the pitying looks everyone was giving her. They had all known of what took place and absolutely no one was happy for the new couple. Molly was positively furious as were the rest of the Weasley's.

It was Molly, the angel in her opinion, that had provided her with a small amount of relief when she stormed in and ordered Ron and his 'tart', to go home. They were not needed there.

"I am an Order member." He replied hotly, "I have every right to be here." And Jasmine nodded her head in agreement.

"Not for this you don't." Molly replied, "I swear to Merlin, Ron, son or not I will hex you to the ends of the earth…. Leave now and take that –that thing with you."

He stood with a huff, scraping his chair against the floor as he did so and without another word he and Jasmine floo'd out but not before Jasmine made eye contact with Hermione and winked at her in triumph.

"Well now," Dumbledore stated as he took his spot at the head of the table, having watched the entire scene play out before him, and more than happy that the redhead had left, "I gather you all know the reason this meeting has been called?"

No words were spoken but he took in the collective nods throughout the group and continued.

Dumbledore sighed and ran his hands over his face. The stresses of war were taking its toll on him and Ron's latest stunt had not made anything easier as it couldn't have come at a worse time.

"Normally, a transfer is not meeting worthy, but these are unfortunate times and I'm afraid a normal placement would not be sufficient this time." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. He had news and it wasn't good, especially for Hermione. He took pity on the girl given the situation at hand and his news was not going to brighten her spirits at all.

"Miss Granger," he said in a tired tone, "it has been brought to our attention that you specifically have been named a target. We have always known that you would be in greater danger but it would seem that Voldemort has placed a price on your head in hopes to get to Harry."

She nodded wordlessly. She had suspected something was up when the meeting had been called.

"So with that being said, you can understand that we cannot just place you anywhere. We need to place you with someone with the skill and strength to protect you. At least a 4th class order member but preferably a 5th class."

Molly cleared her throat, not really caring that she was interrupting. She loved Hermione like a daughter and was completely beside her self at her son's treatment of her. "She can stay with us. She would be safe. We would all protect her and all of us are known and trusted."

Dumbledore shook his head, "I have no doubt that you could protect her Molly, no doubt at all, but as it stands you are at capacity and above that, you are only a 3rd class. With the losses that we have already endured, I cannot afford to take any chances."

Molly huffed but nodded. She understood his position even if she didn't like it. She still felt she could protect her just as well as anyone. She was a redhead and she was a mother. A deadly combination to anyone trying to harm one of her own.

Dumbledore then looked over to Stanley Sudds, a very smart and very organized man who had kept the overly detailed records of who was staying where, skill classes, and available spaces. A nerd through and through but a huge asset to the order by everyone's standards. It was Stanley who stayed up pulling all-nighters as he struggled to find a match for every person and family needing a safe house. He had worked miracles and that secured him the trust and adoration of every member of the order, especially Hermione who had formed an easy friendship with him.

"Who have you found, Stanley?" Dumbledore asked having already given the man the requirements hours before the meeting was scheduled.

Stanley stood from his chair, cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses, and picked up his clip board. "As you know, space is very limited and until we acquire more safe houses, our options are very limited as well. I have found only three suitable placements but none of them are recommended."

Hermione didn't like where this was going, not one bit. She knew Stanley and knew him well and she knew that he was very good at knowing when something was a good idea or wasn't and from his words and the tone of his voice, she knew she was not going to be happy with anything that was offered.

"Why can't she stay with me?" Harry piped up. "I know you said it was too dangerous, but I don't see the problem considering we have been protecting each other since we were first years."

Hermione shook her head, "He's right, Harry, it would be too risky for us to be at the same house. He is after me for a reason and if by some chance he finds me, he would find you at the same time and I'm not willing to risk your life or the war."

Stanley, not normally a man of many words, voiced his rare, unrequested opinion, "If I may, I wouldn't count that possibility out… I feel it would be far better than anything we have available."

"Let's just leave it on the table," Harry stated, "As an option – just in case."

Dumbledore was reluctant but agreed. "Who do you have Stanley?" he asked, still wanting to avoid placing her with Harry if at all possible.

"The first I have is a 4th class by the name of Rudy Jenkins. His house has room for one more but he is hardly at the residence and the others that reside there are not well known members. I feel it is too risky to place Hermione there, especially considering the circumstances.

The second is a 5th class by the name of Willard Dumpsey. He only accepts one order member at a time into his home and while I feel he could protect her and protect her well, he is known to make unwanted advances to every female we have attempted to place with him. He is listed as a safe house for men only.

And lastly, we have a 5th class, but he is our most unlikely host as he has requested that he not be listed as a safe house at all. And I feel that in his current situation, Hermione would be at great risk if placed with him."

Stanley paused, not wanting to say the man's name as the man was sitting in the room with him and frankly, he was scared shitless to even suggest it.

"Who, Stanley, out with it!" Molly all but yelled. She was growing increasingly frustrated as she heard the options being presented. There was no way she would stand for Hermione to be placed with a grabby barbarian that couldn't keep his mitts to himself and she sure as hell wouldn't let her go to a house full of unknowns.

Stanley pulled as his cloak that suddenly felt like it was suffocating him. His sweat was becoming visible and his throat was going dry. Every eye was trained on him but he only looked at one man.

"Oh for the love of Merlin, he is talking about me." Severus Snape finally hissed, "And the answer is NO."


	2. Chapter 2

Before we start, I just want to thank those of you who took the time to review and/or add this story to your alerts. I read and treasure all of them.

Disclaimer: All known characters, places, and spell work belong to J.K Rowling. I simply wish to play with her creation.

Chapter 2: Snape's way of thinking

The thing about Severus Snape was that with him being in the business of spying for two powerful wizards, he learned very early on that in order to survive, you had to look at a situation from all different directions and this particular situation fell into that category as well.

With the war looming and the wizarding population split, Severus had learned to categorize people based in two different groups. The first being key players and then second being everyone else and unfortunately for him, Hermione Granger was indeed a key player in this war.

His first instinct was to say no and stick with it, but as his mind started weighing the pros and cons, he almost choked when he realized the benefits of her being placed with him far outweighed the cons.

First and foremost in his decision was that Granger was a key player. He was no fool and knew that both Potter and Weasley would have been long dead without her. Potter had will and determination. He was ready and willing to face off with a wizard who had devastated people and lives without blinking. He knew what had to be done and instead of skipping country like many others would have, he stayed and planned to fulfill his destiny whether he made it out alive or not.

And Weasley, the dolt he was, had remained loyal to his best friends for the most part, willing to risk his own life and fight alongside of Potter without batting an eye lash. He had a part in this as well and that part was strategy and bravery, they were his only strong suits.

But Granger was the brains, always had been and always would be and while keeping his opinion strictly to himself, he would admit that he had the most respect for her as she did try to advance in her studies, she did keep Potter alive thanks to her willingness to learn new things and her drive to keep him alive no matter what stupid stunts he pulled, and lastly because Voldemort would not think twice about killing her and yet she stayed and she fought. It spoke volumes for her character.

The second thing he had to look at was what he could benefit by taking her in. He, like everyone else, had a goal and that goal was to eventually be freed from the ranks of both wizards he served.

By taking her in, he knew that he could keep her alive. She would stay with him at Hogwarts where security was at the top of the list. His chambers were damn near impossible to access and when he couldn't be there; she would have the protection of Dumbledore.

Keeping her safe was really the main goal in this. Potter was brave, a dunder headed fool, but brave and his loyalty to Granger was unsurpassed. He knew, just like everyone knew, that if Granger was actually captured, he would not think twice about marching in and trying to rescue her, most likely ending his life in the process. And if she were killed, Potter would not be of mental mind to keep his emotion in check, which meant that the outcome of the war would not be the preferable one and he would end up Voldemorts little do boy for the rest of his life. He couldn't live with that.

And lastly, having her around might make his life a little bit easier. With his duties as a potions professor and the head of Slytherin house, his free time was sparse at best. Take that and add in spying for the order while pretending to spy for The Dark Lord, attending staff meetings and death eater meetings, he was on the move from the minute he woke up till the time he was finally able to retire for the night. The free time that he had, which was not much at all, he brewed potions for the order and the medical wing leaving him to multitask while doing things were multitasking was not advisable.

With that being pros of the situation, the cons seemed rather superficial with maybe the exception of one.

The big con was the fact that he was a death eater, maybe not like the others, but he was in the Dark Lords ranks which meant that he would be protecting one of the people that Voldemort wanted most. This could end up really, really bad if something were to go wrong. With his protecting her, he would have to keep his guard up at all times. Granger was not a student any longer and while he could use his position as a professor to keep her out of harm's way while she attended, Voldemort would not grant such exceptions now that she was graduated and an adult. The only reason it had worked in the past was because Voldemort needed him close to Dumbledore and Potter so he could continue to get inside information. Had Snape been fired or sent to Azkaban, he would lose his inside man and Voldemort was not willing to risk that.

The more superficial cons were the ones he felt they could work out. One thing she was going to hate was that she would have to stay hidden. If a student with ties to the Dark Lord spotted her, it would be demanded of him to deliver her straight into the hands of the death eaters and that would mess something up no matter how hard her tried to avoid it.

The last real con, also superficial, was that by taking her in, he would no longer have any personal space. She would be a fixture in his life, breathing the same air that he was and would always be around leaving him no time to himself unless he locked himself away in his bedroom. It did not sit well with him but he would chalk it up as being just another sacrifice to ensure his freedom in the end.

He felt satisfied that he was making the correct decision.

He cleared his throat in hopes to calm the arguing lot of Order members enough to get out what he had to say. They had been in a tizzy for the last hour, scrambling as they tried to find reasonable placement for her, every last one of them certain that he would not change his mind.

He cleared his throat again since it obviously fell on deaf ears the first time. This time, he managed to catch the attention of a few, which in turn caught the attention of the rest.

"After consideration of the situation, " he began, looking at everyone in the room, "I will accept her into my home, both at Hogwarts and my personal housing off of Hogwarts grounds until another suitable safe house is available or the war has ended."

He looked around the room once more at the stunned faces before finally settling on none other than Hermione. "I'm leaving for Hogwarts within the hour. Have everything you need ready to go as we will have worked to do in order to get you settled." And without another word, he stalked off into the other room needing to be away from everyone, even if it were only a little while.

000000000000000000

Arriving at Hogwarts had never made her feel anything but joy, however, this trip made her feel a little sick to her stomach. She knew Severus probably hated the idea of her staying with him and she would be lying if she said she was happy about the situation either. The tension between them was already thick. She didn't know what to expect. How many years did they joke that Snape probably had a coffin that he slept in? The whole thing was just odd, surreal in the respect that this was one of those things that she would have never expected, and yet here she was, dumped by the man she was in love with and moving in with the grumpiest man on earth. She officially hated life at this point in time.

She was happy that she was at least going to have a few short days of being able to move freely about the castle as it was Christmas break and every single student had gone home to be with their families. In the past, a few students stayed for one reason or another, but with everyone feeling the pressure of Voldemort, parents didn't want to waste any opportunity to spend time with their children in case things went horribly wrong and they ran out of time.

She struggled to keep up with Snapes quick strides as he walked as if he had a mission and to be honest, his legs were longer than hers so that wasn't helping either.

She finally managed to catch up because he had stopped.

"Tell me, Miss Granger, do you notice anything unusual about this spot in the corridor?"

She looked around, not sure what exactly she was supposed to notice. She heard him sigh as if bored and started tapping his foot. She turned on him, wanting to yell at him for his rudeness but stopped when she noticed that a single flagstone was slightly darker than the others, right where his foot was tapping.

"The flagstone?" she asked, hoping it was what he meant. She had, had a long day and didn't feel like being the subject of his mocking.

"Your attention to detail amazes me." He said sarcastically, "but yes, this is what you need to look for if for some reason you are wondering the halls without me. This is where my chambers are."

He looked around before placing his hand on the wall and she was shocked to see a door appear. "Place your hand beside mine so I can add you to the wards. It will only allow you to see or enter the door by yourself if this is done."

She nodded and placed her hand a few inches away from his. He waved his wand in a pattern while whispering something she couldn't quite catch. She looked at him in question when she felt a stinging sensation in her palm that slowly started moving outward and through each finger.

"When the stinging stops you can remove your hand." He stated in response to her questioning eyes.

She frowned a little as the seconds passed. The stinging wasn't causing pain but it was uncomfortable and a little more than irritating. Her body's natural instincts were to pull away but she closed her eyes in determination and felt complete relief the second everything went to normal.

"If you need to enter, all you need to do is place your hand on this spot, somewhere on the wall above the flagstone will do." He placed his hand against the wall again and entered the door that appeared once again.

"So it's kind of like the room of requirements, isn't it?" She asked, curious because in all of the times she had read, Hogwarts: a history, it never mentioned any other door that acted in the same way.

"It's close." He answered as he took a look around and tried to figure out where he was going to store the stuff that was currently residing in his spare bedroom. "The difference is that only those that belong in here can get in. The room of requirements will let anyone in; you actually have to get through the wards with mine."

"So how do the students reach you if there is a problem? Do they know about this door?" She asked with curiosity. It was still irking her that she hadn't known about it until just now.

"If they need me, they only have to knock on the door to the classroom. I have a charm in place that allows me to hear it. The only ones who know of this door are staff members and now you so try to keep it quiet."

Hermione looked around the chambers and sighed. They décor was not as bad as she imagined. There were no coffins or jars of eye balls all over the place, it looked plain and every bit a bachelor pad in her opinion.

She did notice that for a professors living area, it was much bigger that she had ever imagined. Maybe it just looked bigger due to the sparse furnishings and lack of personal items that usually made a place look more… inviting? She wasn't sure but she felt reasonably sure that they could at the very least stay out of each other hair.

"If you are quite finished with scrutinizing my décor, follow me so I can give you the general tour and give you the ground rules."

Rules… great, she thought to herself

Towards the back, Severus came to a stop at a door but didn't open it. "This is my bedroom and completely off limits to you. The only time you can enter is if there is an emergency of some sort and you need to get to me quickly."

He started walking again and pointed to another door some 20 feet away, "Unfortunately there is only one bathroom so we must share. I would prefer if you would take your showers at night as I use it in the morning time to ready for my day."

He had to throw that in because he would be damned if he didn't get his hot shower first thing in the morning. The heat from the water eased his aching muscles and if he didn't get that relief, he was a right bastard to everyone who crossed his path.

The next area they came to was a small room without a door. She could see if was a kitchen, small, but looked fully stocked.

"Use this as needed just don't burn the place down. I will warn you that the icebox on the far wall is not for human consumption. It contains ingredients and specimens that need to be kept cold."

She nodded and they moved on, finally coming to a stop in front of yet another door. "And this will be your bedroom." He said with a sigh, "Everything you will need is in there like a bed, dresser, closet, and a desk. Unfortunately, this room has been used as storage for many years. Some things we can move with magic, other things we must do by hand to prevent contamination."

Hermione looked inside and wanted to cry. The room was piled high with all sorts of stuff and she imagined it would take at least a few hours to work through it.

"Where will we put it all?" she asked, not being able to imagine where it would all go.

Severus paused. There was one room left and he felt very odd that he would be allowing access to it to anyone but himself. His lab. But he knew that there was ample storage space available and it was at this point, their only option.

"We will be using the storage area in the lab. This is going to take some time so why don't we get to work and we will work out the fine details of this arrangement in a few days' time."

Hermione agreed and the pair set to work. It took almost four hours to clear out the room and by the time they were finished, they were completely and utterly exhausted.

Fresh sheets arrived by way of a small female house elf named, Bitsy. She was a motherly little elf that insisted on removing the years of built up dust from everything, making the bed, and even managed to find a large comforter that appeared to be new.

Hermione thanked her repeatedly and Bitsy smiled, glad to have something to do while the children were away on break.


End file.
